


Replacement

by zeejayblue



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate ending to S3 E6, Angst, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gay Keith (Voltron), Insecure Lance (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), but nobody knows he's a clone yet, clone shiro - Freeform, enjoy boyos, that was the leave the math to pidge EP if you forgot, this is some langst based off of that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-20 09:57:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11918451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeejayblue/pseuds/zeejayblue
Summary: Lance declares himself useless to the team now that Allura is the blue paladin, and decides running away is the best choice.





	Replacement

    Lance sat in his room, thoughts swirling around in his head. Shiro’s back, and he’s going to take over the black lion, which meant Keith was going back to the red lion. The blue lion rejected Lance, and seemed to prefer Allura’s company. Six paladins and five lions just… doesn’t add up.

    That led Lance to think that… maybe he wasn’t needed anymore, and maybe that was why Blue rejected him. Blue closing him out seemed to be her way of saying, “You’re not wanted or needed anymore”.

    Allura being a paladin now meant that Lance was getting less attention. Everyone spoke to Allura after missions, telling her what a great job she did, and congratulating her on their success, saying “We couldn’t have done it without you!”.

    Lance felt like he didn’t have much to contribute to the team anymore. He felt… at home with Blue. Lance felt like he could help the team in the blue lion; he felt like he had _purpose_ . Lance and Blue became so close and they worked so _well_ together. Seeing her shut him out like that and willingly accept Allura so quickly broke his heart.

    Lance stood up off of his bed and wandered down the halls into the blue lion’s hangar. For the past few days, Lance has been trying to talk to Blue to maybe get her to open up to him again. So far, nothing has happened. The only times the blue lion had responded were when Allura walked into the room.

     Lance took a breath as he entered the blue lion’s hangar. A place that used to make him feel safe and loved felt so cold and desolate now. The blue lion used to seem so welcoming and loving to him, and now she sat there with a stoic face, like she was acting aloof towards her previous paladin.

    “Hey Blue, I know you probably hate me now,” Lance began. The blue lion remained frozen and he sat down in front of her, crossing his legs and placing his hands on his ankles.

    “What happened to us?” Lance’s voice was a whisper, and he felt his heart ache in his chest. The blue lion had yet to react to Lance’s presence.

    “ _Everyone_ had to try to pilot the black lion before we found Shiro, it wasn’t just me who did, if that’s what you’re mad about,” Lance explained, his eyebrows furrowing. Nothing.

    “I didn’t even _want_ to fly the black lion!” Lance exclaimed. He thought for a moment, and then faltered and sighed.

    “Okay, that’s _kind_ of a lie, I wanted to at _first,_ but I then remembered that I didn’t want to leave you, Blue!” Lance explained exasperatedly. He felt his lip begin to quiver and Lance’s head hung low as tears formed in his eyes.

    “Do you hate me _forever_ now?” Lance questioned, his voice choked as he held back a sob. It was like the blue lion didn’t even know Lance existed.

    “I miss you,” Lance whispered, tears sliding down his cheeks as he looked back up to the blue lion. Still nothing.

    “Dammit,” Lance spat, wiping tears away with his hands. They kept coming, and Lance kept trying to brush them away.

    Allura was pacing the halls out of boredom and spotted Lance in the blue lion’s hangar. She was intrigued at first, and then grew worried when she heard Lance crying. Allura stepped into the room, and the blue lion _immediately_ lit up.

    At first, Lance had no idea Allura was in the room, and was so _relieved_ and _happy._ And then he turned around.

    “Lance, are you alright?” Allura questioned, worry painting her voice. Lance shot upwards with an inimical glare, and mumbled an “I’m fine” as he sulked out of the room.

    “It’s like I’m not even alive,” Lance muttered to himself as he walked back into his room. He decided on the way over that he was going to stop trying to talk to the blue lion to win her back; it was obviously not working. The only times the blue lion ever responded was when Allura walked in.

    Lance laid on his bed, his heart breaking over and over again. The blue lion, which felt like home to him, a refuge from his insecurities, has rejected Lance and now seems to hate him. Blue has found someone new; a replacement.

    “I’m so fucking _useless_ ,” Lance sobbed, sniffling as he rubbed his face. Lance sighed shakily and stared at his ceiling, drowning in his sea of negative thoughts. The dark waves lapped hungrily over him, and he didn’t care.

    A knock sounded on his door, causing the waves to freeze and for Lance to be washed back up onto shore. He sat up, rubbing his eyes once more before answering the door.

    “Hey,” Keith greeted. Lance didn’t react.

    “It’s dinner time, Hunk cooked for us,” Keith continued. Lance glared stoically at Keith.

    “Not hungry,” Lance spat coolly before slamming his door shut. The sound echoed and Lance resumed laying on his bed, where the waves consumed him again.

    Keith frowned before shrugging and going to the dining room. Keith didn’t really know what was going on but ultimately decided that Lance just needed some space.

    Lance suddenly thought of an idea and sat upwards, his eyebrows raised. He immediately turned his bedroom upside down, looking for a piece of paper and a pen. Once he found what he needed, he began to furiously write.

    After about 10 minutes or so, with some breaks in between sentences because his arm hurt from writing so fast, Lance finished the letter, and decided to read his handiwork.

    “ _Dear whoever cares anymore,_

_I’m leaving. I’m running away. Allura is the blue paladin now, and she’s much better than I am._

_Besides, Blue doesn’t even like me anymore. Every time I talk to her, she acts like I was never even born. Which sucks, because I care so much about her._

_Whenever I was sad, or lonely, or homesick, she always welcomed me with open arms (paws?) and fucking listened. She was like my home away from home._

_But Allura is her paladin now. Blue likes Allura now. The red lion likes me enough to respond, but there’s nothing else there. No bond, no inside jokes, no feeling of home._

_The blue lion and I were so close. Blue felt like a sibling, like family to me. Which may seem stupid to you, but I don’t care anymore. Besides, Blue hates me now. Our bond that we spent so long developing is gone, like it never meant anything._

_I had so much to offer the team when I was Blue’s pilot. I contributed. I pulled my weight. I did my job. I was noticed. I mattered. I was the sharpshooter._

_Now, not so much._

_Allura pilots the blue lion now. It’s not my job anymore. She replaced me. No disrespect to Allura._

_Am I jealous? Yes. She and Blue are close now. Blue was my refuge, and now I have nothing._

_Which is why I’m running away. This is war, and you want your best soldiers on the front lines. So, why would you want a useless boy who can’t even get his own lion to respond to him on your team? I can’t think of a reason other than comedic relief. But I suck at that too, because nobody laughs at my jokes anymore. Wait, did anyone ever laugh at my jokes?_

_Where will I go? Who knows? Pidge, if you’re reading this, maybe I’ll find your brother and father wherever I wander off to._

_Good luck continuing to save the universe without me. Hopefully a weight is lifted off of your shoulders. Tell Allura and Blue I wish them well._

_Sincerely,_

_T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶l̶u̶e̶ ̶p̶a̶l̶a̶d̶i̶n̶  T̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶h̶a̶r̶p̶s̶h̶o̶o̶t̶e̶r̶  Lance._ ”

    Lance felt tears sting at his eyes once again but ignored them as he folded the letter in half and set it on his bed. He grabbed a stray bag from the back of his closet, set the blue paladin armor out on his bed with a note that said ‘For Allura’, and packed away whatever things he had.

    Soon his bag was full and his bedroom looked like nobody had ever slept in it. Lance’s eyes scanned the empty room, devoid of all emotion, before he snuck down the hall and into the room where all of the escape pods were stored.

    When Keith finished eating, he decided to check on Lance again. He wandered down the hall and knocked on Lance’s door, only to have it open a little once his hand made contact with it. Keith’s eyebrows rose when he noticed how clean and barren the room was.

    Keith’s eyes fell upon the blue paladin armor on the bed with a note that said ‘For Allura’ and a letter beside it, folded in half on top of the pillow. Curious, he picked it up and opened it.

    Keith’s brows furrowed and he almost dropped the note to run and find Lance after reading the first couple lines, but he decided to continue reading.

    “He can’t be serious,” Keith sighed after he finished reading the letter, his shoulders drooping. Keith jogged down the hall and once he saw that the door to the pods was wide open, he began to sprint.

    There was Lance, standing stoically with his bag of things. Lance stared at the escape pod, his face sullen. He must’ve heard Keith run in, because Lance whipped around and dropped his bag in surprise.

    “Are you serious about this?” Keith questioned incredulously, his face despondent as he held up the letter. Lance’s face fell again and his head hung low.

    “Do you think I was joking?” Lance questioned bitterly with a cynical scoff as he looked back up.

    “You’re _so_ important to the team,” Keith assured. Lance wasn’t convinced.

    “Yeah, right,” Lance replied with an eye roll, folding his arms across his chest.

    “Blue doesn’t hate you,” Keith stated. Lance laughed. Keith faltered and stepped closer to him.

    “You’re really leaving?” Keith questioned, his voice quavering slightly. Lance raised an eyebrow.

    “Yeah? After writing that, why wouldn’t I?” Lance questioned. Keith looked down and scuffed his feet on the ground.

    “Is- c-can-” Keith stuttered, clearing his throat.

    “Is there any way I could get you to stay?” Keith questioned, his eyes glassy. Lance exhaled heavily.

    “If you can find a way for the blue lion to respond to me again, let me know,” Lance answered bitterly.

    “Your mind is _really_ set on running away, isn’t it?” Keith questioned, his voice quiet. For a second, Lance thought he saw Keith’s lip quiver.

    “I can’t see a reason to stay,” Lance replied with a small shrug.

    “To, I don’t know, save the universe?” Keith questioned, all signs of sadness replaced with exasperation.

    “How, Keith?!? _HOW?!?_ ” Lance fumed as tears formed in his eyes. His angry voice bounced off of the walls and created a chilling silence when Keith failed to reply. Lance was crying freely now, not holding back the hot, angry tears that escaped down his cheeks.

    “In case you can’t tell, I don’t have a lion to fight in anymore! I’m _nothing_ to this team now!” Lance began, his voice still a shout. Keith’s brows were furrowed, creating a surprised and dejected expression.

    “I have no purpose anymore!” Lance screamed, his voice wavering and cracking as emotions constricted it. Keith seemed taken aback, and was entirely speechless.

    “I _had_ something to give the team when I was the blue lion’s pilot,” Lance continued exasperatedly, tears still flowing freely with no signs of stopping. “I don’t have _anything_ to offer with Red.”

    “All I had to offer in Red was being an arm,” Lance scoffed bitterly, his voice cracking.

    “I couldn’t do anything right, I always screwed everything up!” Lance sobbed, his legs wobbling. The only sound was Lance’s sobs echoing off of the walls as he fell to his knees. Keith, speechless, looked down at Lance and felt his own heart break for him.

    “I’m useless,” Lance wailed, his voice muffled as his hands covered his face. Keith felt tears spring to his eyes and trickle down his cheeks, and hastily wiped them away.

    “If I’m so god-damn useless, why don’t you just _LET ME GO?!_ ” Lance shouted, his voice echoing across the walls. Lance continued to sob, not getting up off of the ground.

    Keith delicately and hesitantly placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder. Lance angrily swatted it away and sniffled as he stood up.

    Lance didn’t react when he saw Keith crying in front of him. Lance grabbed his bag and swung it over his shoulder.

    “Wait!” Keith sobbed as Lance turned around. Lance stopped but didn’t turn.

    “You’re gonna be an asshole and leave without letting me at least say goodbye?” Keith cried. Lance faltered and looked down to the ground and dropped his bag. Lance turned around to face Keith, both of them crying.

    “We spent all this time hanging out together, cooped up in a castle in space and you act like it never even mattered,” Keith began, his voice wavering and cracking. Keith bit his lip to attempt to stop it from shaking.

    “We became best friends! We bonded!” Keith cried. Lance’s lip was shaking now, and more tears exploded down his cheeks.

    “You made me fall in _love_ with you, you jackass!” Keith fumed, his angry voice echoing across the room. Lance’s eyes widened, but he said nothing.

   “I fell in _love_ with you, and you’re just gonna _leave?_ ” Keith sobbed. Lance’s mouth fell open and he gasped softly as he took a breath.

    Keith’s head hung low and he kept rubbing at his eyes to stop the tears from flowing, but they never did. Lance slowly walked over to Keith, sniffling.

    “Did… you really…” Lance’s words fizzled out when Keith glanced up at him with angry, glassy eyes.

    “Are you seriously that oblivious?” Keith whimpered. Lance said nothing and looked down to his feet.

    “You know what?” Keith laughed bitterly. Lance glanced up at Keith and noticed he was stepping back.

    “I give up!” Keith shouted, throwing his hands up and then dropping them to his sides, his hands slapping his legs. Lance’s eyes darted to his feet as his letter fluttered to the ground.

    “Run away for all I care,” Keith cried, turning around. Lance ran to catch up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

    “What?!?” Keith fumed as he whipped around. Lance sealed the space between them by kissing the smaller boy, pulling him closer.

    Keith was shocked at the sudden contact, but quickly melted into it. Keith’s brows furrowed as he wanted more of Lance, _needed_ more. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and Keith kept pulling Lance as close to him as he could get.

    The two eventually pulled back, catching their breath. The both of them were blushing and crying. Keith sniffled and pulled Lance back into an embrace.

    “I’m already pissed at you for making me fall for you, so I’ll never forgive you if you leave after kissing me like that,” Keith muttered. Lance sniffled and wrapped his arms back around the smaller boy.

    “I’m not going,” Lance whispered as tears flew down his cheeks. Keith pulled back, his glassy eyes sparkling.

    “You’re not?” Keith questioned, his lip quivering. Keith began to cry again, but he shed happy tears for a change. Lance smiled softly at Keith’s excitement.

    “No,” Lance shook his head, causing Keith to smile the biggest smile Lance has ever seen. Keith jumped into Lance’s embrace, and Lance chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Keith again.

    “We’ll figure something out about Blue, I promise, but the team, we need you, you can’t run away! Hunk, Pidge, Coran, Shiro, Allura, and not to mention me! We’ll all miss you so-”

    “Hey hey hey,” Lance cut off, Keith’s lips closing once he realized he was rambling.

    “So, you’ll stay? You’ll take some time to figure things out?” Keith questioned again for clarification. Lance smiled softly and nodded, stepped backwards to pick up his bag.

    “You’re staying,” Keith gasped, a wide smile tugging at his lips again. Lance stepped over to Keith, kissing the smaller boy delicately on the lips.

    “I’m staying,” Lance declared. Keith pulled Lance into a hug again.

    “Good, because I’d never forgive you if you left me.”    

    “Don’t worry about that, Keith. I’m not leaving.”  

**Author's Note:**

> wOW ANGST WITH A FLUFFY ENDING  
> I NEED ANGST TO LIVE BUT I WANTED A HAPPY ENDING OKAY


End file.
